490th Bombardment Group
| 490th Bombardment Group | |
|---|---|
European Theater of Operations | |
| Insignia | |
| Tail Code[1][note 1] | Square T |
The 490th Bombardment Group is a former
V-E Day
, the group returned to the United States, where it was inactivated in November 1945.
History
World War II
The 490th Bombardment Group was activated at
In December, group
SS Nieuw Amsterdam on 11 April and arriving in the United Kingdom on 25 April. The air echelon flew its planes along the southern ferry route beginning on 12 April.[7]
The group arrived at
492d Bombardment Group replaced the 801st Group in the Carpetbagger mission on 12 August. The 850th Squadron transferred its crews and B-24s to the 492d Group, and returned to the 490th on paper to be included in the change to the group's new bomber.[2][9]
Once transition to the B-17 was completed on 24 August, the squadron concentrated on
lines of communication during the Battle of the Bulge from December 1944 through January 1945. In the last month of the war in Europe, it carried out interdiction missions to support advancing ground forces.[2] The squadron's last combat mission was flown on 20 April 1945.[7]
Following
Drew Field, Florida in September. It was inactivated there on 7 November 1945.[2]
Memorial
A permanent memorial, situated near the old fuel dump on RAF Eye, was dedicated to the 490th Bombardment Group on 29 May 2016, in front of families of 490th veterans, current serving USAF personnel, and guest of honor, 490th veteran,
High flight by John Gillespie Magee Jr.
Lineage
- Constituted as the 490th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 14 September 1943
- Activated on 1 October 1943
- Redesignated 490th Bombardment Group, Heavy c. 1944
- Inactivated on 7 November 1945[2]
Assignments
- II Bomber Command, 1 October 1943[citation needed]
- Second Air Force, 6 October 1943[citation needed]
- 93d Combat Bombardment Wing, 7 April 1944[7]
- 13th Combat Bombardment Wing (later 13th Bombardment Wing), March 1945–c. 26 August 1945[12]
- III Bomber Command, 3 September-7 November 1945[citation needed]
Components
- 848th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 7 November 1945[3]
- 849th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 7 November 1945[4]
- 850th Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 11 May 1944, 10 August 1944 – 7 November 1945[5]
- 851st Bombardment Squadron, 1 October 1943 – 7 November 1945[6]
Stations
- Salt Lake City Army Air Base, Utah, 1 October 1943
- Mountain Home Army Air Field, Idaho, 4 December 1943 – c. 9 April 1944[13]
- RAF Eye (AAF-138),[14] England, 28 April 1944 – c. 26 August 1945
- Drew Field, Florida 3 September–7 November 1945[15]
Aircraft
- Consolidated B-24 Liberator, 1943–1944
- Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, 1944–1945[2]
Campaigns
| Campaign Streamer | Campaign | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
Air Offensive, Europe | 28 April 1944 – 5 June 1944 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Air Combat, EAME Theater | 28 April 1944 – 11 May 1945 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Normandy | 6 June 1944 – 24 July 1944 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Northern France | 25 July 1944 – 14 September 1944 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Rhineland | 15 September 1944 – 21 March 1945 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Ardennes-Alsace | 16 December 1944 – 25 January 1945 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
|
Central Europe | 22 March 1944 – 21 May 1945 | 490th Bombardment Group[2] |
Notable members
- Howard Zinn, democratic socialist and historian.
- Ken Kavanaugh, American football player, coach, and scout.
See also
Media related to 490th Bombardment Group (United States Army Air Forces) at Wikimedia Commons- B-17 Flying Fortress units of the United States Army Air Forces
- B-24 Liberator units of the United States Army Air Forces
References
Notes
- Explanatory notes
- ^ The square was white on the group's original camouflaged B-24s. Replacements in natural metal displayed a black square. The tail code was replaced by high-visibility red tail markings on group B-24s before the unit converted to B-17s and continued on the Flying Fortresses. Watkins pp. 116–117.
- Citations
- ^ a b Watkins, pp. 116–117
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 359–360
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 780
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 780–781
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, p. 781
- ^ a b Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 781–782
- ^ a b c d e Freeman, p. 261
- ^ Freeman, p. 263
- ^ Freeman, pp. 261, 263
- ^ Air Force Historical Research Agency, Microfilm CD B0650 p. 813
- ^ Plew, TSG Matthew (1 June 2016). "490th Bomb Group Memorial unveiled". 48th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
- ^ "Factsheet 13 Strategic Missile Division". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 4 October 2007. Archived from the original on 30 October 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2014.
- ^ See Maurer, Combat Squadrons, pp. 789–781 (departure date for component squadrons).
- ^ Station number in Anderson.
- ^ Station information in Maurer, Combat Units, pp. 359–360, except as noted.
Bibliography
This article incorporates public domain material from the Air Force Historical Research Agency
- Air Force Historical Research Agency (1943–1945) Microfilm reels B0649 & B0650 "History of the 490th BG"
- Anderson, Capt. Barry (1985). Army Air Forces Stations: A Guide to the Stations Where U.S. Army Air Forces Personnel Served in the United Kingdom During World War II (PDF). Maxwell AFB, AL: Research Division, USAF Historical Research Center. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-87938-638-2.
- ISBN 0-900913-09-6.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1983) [1961]. Air Force Combat Units of World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. LCCN 61060979. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- Maurer, Maurer, ed. (1982) [1969]. Combat Squadrons of the Air Force, World War II (PDF) (reprint ed.). Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. OCLC 72556.